Who are the Puerto Rican Millennials?

This is the introduction to the Millennials, a Generation of Togetherness, but Full of Contradictions blog series. During the following weeks, we’ll highlight and dig deeper into different aspects of the Puerto Rican millennial’s life.

Millennials, Gen Y, Boomerang Generation…Peter Pan Generation? (Whaaat?!) Yup. That’s how we call people between the ages of 18 and 34. They’re the most researched generation because of their attitudes, preferences, purchasing patterns, and overall lifestyle. They may not be the largest generation (we’ll leave that to the Baby Boomers), but the more than 830,000 millennials in Puerto Rico, definitely, deserve our attention.

At de la Cruz & Associates we conducted the first quantitative study on Millennials in Puerto Rico – with a sample of 1,000 people between the ages of 18 and 34. Here’s what we found out:

Puerto Rican millennials are very attached

Millennials in Puerto Rico are very close to their friends and family. 47% of participants mentioned that their family was an essential part of their lives and 49% said that their friends were the most important to them. #Framily

Education comes first

43% of millennials agreed that a good education will allow them to do whatever they put their mind to. And when asked if they thought they could be successful without going to college, 70% responded NO. In Puerto Rico, millennials still value post-secondary education in order to secure a job – 70% agreed.

Millennials are loyal to the company they work at, but don’t plan to stay for long

47% agreed they’re loyal to the company they work at. However, 41% agreed that they don’t see themselves working at the same place for more than five years. Millennials enjoy being exposed to different experiences and tend to switch workplaces to learn new skills.

Millennials want to work for a better Puerto Rico

Something interesting that came up is that 41% of Puerto Rican millennials don’t believe they can change the world. However, 43% agreed they CAN make the difference in Puerto Rico. Millennials think the world is too big to make an impact, but they believe in generating change at home, in Puerto Rico. Furthermore, 15% is considering moving out of the Island.

They’re connected

Surprise!

Not…

Millennials were born at just the right time to be part of the digital media boom. 68% are connected to the Internet for more than six hours everyday and 91% said they’re mostly getting in touch with friends on social media. 95% use a smartphone to go online, but we can’t forget computers. 79% of Puerto Rican millennials use their PC/laptop to access the Internet. This generation uses both devices to connect. When asked about their most used social media networks, the top 3 were: Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter, said 92%, 81%, and 66%, respectively.

Our research revealed many more characteristics and behaviors in areas such as: education, family composition, use of technology, role of work, their views on wealth, and in how they perceive themselves. Stay tuned to our blog for more and be sure to follow us on Facebook,Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Let’s explore how millennials impact your business. We can help you engage with them! Contact us at DLCinsights@delacruz.com